Classification of Chinese Herbs

The classification of various items under study marked the beginning of science and has continued into modern times. In botany, for example, we classify plants into different families to further our understanding of them. Chinese herbs are as old as Chinese history and the ancient Chinese classified herbs according to their basic actions- in other words, what they could do to the human body. There are a total of 20 major classifications within Chinese herbalism today, each of which represents a number of important actions.